DENVER, CO. almost every bicycle space i’ve visited–collective, non-profit, cooperative–has addressed the issue of the bicycle repair shop as a commonly male-oriented or dominated space. the solution has been to initiate women’s-only hours for periodic dates in the repair shop space. the event is usually described as “ladies only” or “women & trans night”, or more creatively as “S.P.I.N (Super Power Inclusion Night)” or “Bicycle Bitchen”. in LA, Bicycle Bitchen has been so successful that the event has gone from happening monthly to bi-monthly and now to weekly as interest and attendance grew. the founders say it is a success and continues to empower women by offering a space to help each other and talk shop without a patriarchal environment where men tend to dominate bicycle knowledge. even for women that feel comfortable during normal business hours, women’s hours provide a safe and comfortable environment where women turn to women with questions and advice.

in tucson, BICAS has just recently in the past six months developed their “ladies only” day, opening the shop on sundays from 1-5pm exclusively for women. some of the organizers at BICAS say the program has had a noticeable effect as they now see more women coming into the shop during regular hours after gaining more repair skills and feeling more comfortable with their knowledge.

this idea of creating a women and gender-queer space is important to changing the gender dynamic of the bicycle repair space and working to fight oppression. it will be a significant focus in my documentary as i hope the idea will spread to other projects and perhaps into the thinking of those who trying to create more equal community spaces.